I Walk a Thin Line
by alreadyinhell
Summary: Foxxay one-shot. Set some point after Cordelia's self-inflicted blinding. Cordelia and Misty have an early morning conversation, Misty ends up a bit on the sexually frustrated side whereas Cordelia is too busy feeling all loved up and a bit sorry for herself. Pre-relationship.


_Author's note: Hey! Another one-shot for ya, was v fun to write. Think I'll try my hand at them actually doing something other than staring at each other and swooning in the next one. Prompts and such are very welcome by the way. Enjoy!_

**Misty:**

Humming softly to herself, Misty Day lay in bed. She wasn't sure of the exact time, but judging by the positioning of the sun she was guessing far too early to go wandering about. She shifted her position slightly, feeling restless. She hadn't payed much attention to time in the swamp, never really being able to sleep past first light. She was on the verge of gathering her things and heading down to the greenhouse when there was a faint knock on the door.

"Misty? Are you awake?"

Cordelia. A grin spread across the younger woman's face as she bounded across the room, eagerly opening the door.

"Mornin' Miss Cordelia"

Her breath hitched as she took in the sight before her, the older woman was wearing nothing but a thin silk nightdress. A small moan escaped her lips and she hastily worked to turn it into a yawn, a fierce blush travelling across her cheeks as she hoped to hell that the other woman hadn't heard.

She was well aware of the way she felt about Cordelia, the attraction she had towards her. Lying in the hours before sleep since the first day she arrived at Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies she would wonder about the older woman, quite quickly coming to the conclusion that she was very probably in love with her, and then eventually deciding that, yes, she was most definitely in love with her. She was very much in love with Miss Cordelia Goode.

It wouldn't do any good for her to act on it though, she hadn't even stopped for a second to consider that the feelings may be returned. All else aside, she hadn't any evidence to support the headmistress having any attraction to women, the woman had a husband - no matter what was going on between them - she had loved a man, probably still loved a man.

Although, it could be noted that she herself had no previous experience when it came to attraction to women, or attraction at all to be honest, at least not of the sexual kind.

Anyway, Misty was in no hurry to ruin the friendship that the two had developed, the first real friendship she had ever had.

And so, she came to the conclusion that if Cordelia happened to find herself in love with her then that would be grand, she could wait, but she was perfectly content with the connection they'd found with each other, with their growing friendship.

"I'm sorry if I woke you but this simply couldn't wait, may I speak with you for a moment?"

The swamp witch's smile turned to a frown as she noted the serious tone.

"'Course Miss 'Delia come right in."

Misty moved to place a gentle hand on Cordelia's elbow, guiding her to the bed. The headmistress muttered her thank-you's but they went unacknowledged, Misty wasn't helping for the thanks, she was so grateful for everything this woman had done for her and she was adamant in showing it whenever she could.

"This is probably silly but, well, I felt I should share it with someone and I'm just not sure who I can trust anymore…"

"You can trust me Miss Cordelia, I promise you can, I'd never want to betray your trust or anythin'." She paused before adding quietly "You don't deserve that."

She watched as Cordelia flushed at the flattery before continuing,

"Thank you Misty. Well, it's the dream I had last night. The thing is, I'm not sure it was a dream exactly, I think there's a chance it was something more…"

Hard as she tried to focus on the other woman's words, Misty found her eyes drifting to the headmistress' hands, she was fiddling with the hem of her nightdress, and the younger witch was finding the fact that the material was being slowly dragged further and further up her thigh impossible to ignore.

She frowned slightly at the collection of pink and white scars spattered across the other woman's skin, knowing she must've been pretty shaken by this dream to come all the way through here without covering up. There was an unspoken agreement between the two regarding Cordelia's scars: no matter how much it made Misty's heart ache knowing that she was in that kind of pain, she never brought it up. Yes, whatever Cordelia wanted to tell her must've been important… Realising she was still focused entirely on the headmistress' hands and snapped her head up, hoping that she hadn't been caught spacing out.

_Miss Cordelia does have such pretty lips, I wonder if anyone's ever told her that before… Plenty of people have I'm sure, I can't imagine why they wouldn't. Aw jeez, it's far too early for all a' this. _

Once again trying to avert her attention to what the other woman was trying to tell her, she noticed that the hands that were previously playing with Cordelia's nightgown were now quickly running their way up and down her thigh. Misty's breath once again hitched in her throat. The gesture was obviously nothing more than a sign of stress, just a way to occupy the other woman's hands. However, she couldn't help but wonder how it would feel if she was stroking her thigh, the way those hands would feel running up and down her own body. Looking quickly between the other woman's face and thigh, trying to gauge whether or not this beautiful woman any clue what she was doing to her.

_Oh my goodness she has no idea, she really doesn't know. Boy I am glad she can't see me right now, gettin' all hot 'n' bothered while she's trying to have an important conversation. _

She noted the expression on the headmistress' face, the way she seemed completely absorbed by what she was trying to express.

_She's real cute when she's all focused._

"…Misty?"

Her head snapped up at the mention of her name, frantically trying to work out what she was being asked. Hesitantly, she cleared her throat, blushing a deep crimson as she tried to clear her mind of all thoughts involving herself and Cordelia's hands.

"I- I'm sorry Miss Cordelia, what was that you were sayin?"

She watched the other woman's frown deepen at her question and a sinking feeling developed in her stomach, wondering why she really couldn't stand even the idea of disappointing the woman in front of her. Cursing herself for getting to distracted she mumbled an apology to the woman in front of her.

"Please don't be mad at me Miss 'Delia, 'm sorry, I really don't know what's come over me this morning…"

Cordelia's face softened and Misty looked up as the woman reached out to her, she was growing used to the older woman touching her face in an attempt to either comfort her or work out the expression she was making, she assumed that this particular touch was a mix of the two.

"No Misty I'm the one who should be sorry, I was just being silly, frightened by a bad dream." She let out a small sigh, looking away from where she knew the younger witch's face would be. Misty lifted her hand to turn Cordelia's face back to her own, seeing the headmistress smile slightly at the contact. It wasn't uncommon for the two to share moments of physical closeness like this, since Cordelia's blinding she had developed this need to feel everything around her - it helped to ease the frustration that came with not being sure of her surroundings, and Misty would happily oblige, after being alone for so long she practically revelled in the contact.

Although the closeness was something the two experienced frequently, Misty found herself breathless, closing her eyes and letting herself feel nothing but the way Cordelia stroked her thumb across her cheek and down to her lips. She was overcome by an urge to kiss the headmistress but held herself back, there was no way she was going to ruin this moment, or whatever it was that had blossomed between the two.

Eventually Cordelia pulled back, a frown showing once again on her features.

"I should go, I'm sorry, I should've waited until a more appropriate time, you need your rest."

She stood, trying to get her bearings as she made her way towards the door.

Misty felt saddened by the departure of the other witch but was too scared to voice her longing for her to stay longer, she settled instead for helping the other woman back to her room.

**Cordelia:**

Cordelia woke with a start, mind racing and palms sweaty she was overcome with the daily panic she'd suffered upon waking since her blinding. Remembering her condition she lay back down on the bed, but felt unable to calm herself. She'd been dreaming about the vision that she'd had when her mother had touched her, the one that had left her with a growing sense of dread. Her girls, all of them, lying dead at the hand of one Fiona Goode. Misty, her Misty, strewn across the piano. She shivered, feeling the protective urge to check on the girl and see that she was alright.

She could no longer deny to herself the fact that she had a horrendously inappropriate crush on the younger witch. She had thought long and hard about it and decided that, strong as her feelings may be, it just wouldn't be sensible to act on them. Misty had far too much to concentrate on with the seven wonders coming up, and besides - Cordelia was practically her teacher, she really should just learn to keep them in check.

However, when she lay awake at night, tears seeping into her pillow, she knew the real reason she'd never put herself out there. There was no one who could love her truly, not Hank, not her mother, not even auntie Myrtle. It was on nights like these where she would find herself lying picturing the young blonde witch twirling around the greenhouse that she would admit to herself that the _only_ reason she couldn't bring herself to go there with Misty was that she was so _god damn_ afraid.

In Cordelia's mind, there was no way that this beautiful young swamp witch - who had more love in one tiny fragment of her soul than most people did in their entire being - could ever feel the same way about her, maybe in another universe, one where she wasn't disfigured and useless.

_Misty is radiant, a truly beautiful soul, and I'm worthless. I wouldn't be deserving of her love even if it was mine to enjoy. _

She let out a bitter sigh and moved off the bed, not reaching for her cane for fear that the noise waking the other girls. She wasn't sure of the time but she knew it couldn't be day yet.

She didn't know why she was letting herself get so worked up over a dream but she just felt completely unable to calm down, she knew it was silly but knowing that everything was alright - that Misty was alright - would perhaps make her feel like she could sleep again. Convincing herself that it was the responsible thing to do, she somewhat hesitantly began to make her way to Misty's room.

By the time she found herself in front of the younger woman's door the headmistress was positive that this conversation was one she needed to have, not only for herself but for the good of the coven. Somehow. She knocked lightly on the door, hoping the woman on the other side of it wasn't still asleep.

"Misty, are you awake?"

She froze for a few seconds, half of her praying that the door would open, the other half thinking she shouldn't have came.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the door swing away from her hand, oddly calmed by the feeling of Misty's presence a few short inches away.

"Mornin' Miss Cordelia"

Cordelia couldn't help the way her lips turned up at the edges at the way her name sounded in Misty's lazy drawl, but her mind flashed back to the image of her sprawled across the piano and her resolve hardened, determined to discuss the vision with the younger witch.

Frowning, she heard a yawn escape the other woman's lips, she had a flash of guilt as she realised she must've woken her.

"I'm sorry if I woke you but this simply couldn't wait, may I speak with you for a moment?"

She could practically feel the other woman's mood shift and cursed herself for using such a serious tone.

"'Course Miss 'Delia, come right in."

Hard as she tried, Cordelia could't seem to get the younger woman to drop the 'Miss', she'd never admit it but secretly she found it quite adorable, although she very much wanted Misty to realise that there was no need for such formalities between the two.

She found herself becoming more relaxed than she had thought possible as gentle hands led her over to the bed, normally she found it quite irksome when people insisted on helping, she hated feeling like she needed to depend on them, but there was just something so soothing about Misty's gentle touch.

Feeling more contented than she had all night, she breathed in the deep earthy smell that the swamp witch seemed to carry with her wherever she went - it filled the room. In theory, such a prominent smell should feel suffocating, but for Cordelia it was the opposite, it made her feel safe, free. But then, was the smell really so prominent to anyone else?

"This is probably silly but, well, I felt I should share it with someone and I'm just not sure who I can trust anymore…"

Feeling suddenly nervous, she had began to justify her turning up in the early hours of the morning when she was practically cut off by the younger woman's reply;

"You can trust me Miss Cordelia, I promise you can, I'd never want to betray your trust or anythin'." She paused before adding quietly "You don't deserve that."

Cordelia felt her heart swell as she listened to the swamp witch speak, of course she already knew she could trust Misty, but the absolute conviction in her voice was so endearing that the headmistress found herself close to blurting out her feelings then and there. Forcing them back, she let out a small thank-you before going on to explain the vision she'd had and the dreams that had followed

As she spoke, her nerves grew, replaying the vision over and over in her head was proving to be quite tiring. She realised she was playing with her hands but the compulsion was uncontrollable.

Conversations with Misty were a regular occurrence and she'd found that she could tell when the younger witch was listening intently - which was damn near all of the time, Cordelia treasured the fact that she genuinely seemed to want to listen to what she had to say. She could generally sense it, if not by the occasional comforting touch that the other woman would give then just from the way her intense stare would seem to painlessly burn behind the older woman's eyes. Maybe it was a witch thing, maybe it was just a Misty thing.

However, as she finished her explanation she realised the other woman felt oddly detached. She frowned, hearing the slightly ragged breathing coming from across the bed. She remembered the lazy tone in the swamp witch's voice earlier, the way she'd yawned, maybe she'd underestimated how tired the other woman was.

"Misty?"

She felt the younger woman's eyes snap back to her face,

"I- I'm sorry Miss Cordelia, what was that you were sayin?"

The younger woman's words brought a frown to her face, not because she was annoyed that she hadn't been listening, but just because she felt so guilty for very probably waking her up. Misty's voice sounded thick, slightly huskier than usual, Cordelia (however incorrectly) assumed this equated to very tired and perhaps slightly irritated.

Just when she was about to open her mouth to tell the younger woman that it didn't matter, that she should go back to sleep, the other woman mumbled out an apology that damn near broke her heart:

"Please don't be mad at me Miss 'Delia, 'm sorry, I really don't know what's come over me this morning…"

_She think _I'm_ mad at _her_. How could I ever be mad at her? How can she possibly not know that she's darn near impossible to be even a little bit mad at. _

Filled with an overwhelming need to let the younger woman know that it was okay, that everything was okay, she reached out a hand to her. Finding her face, she let her fingers roam over features that were growing ever more familiar to the touch, hoping to gauge Misty's feelings based on the surface.

"No Misty I'm the one who should be sorry, I was just being silly, frightened by a bad dream."

Cordelia felt ashamed, she had come in here for selfish comfort and disturbed the rest of one who could really do with it, she turned away from the other woman, hoping to break away from her gaze, although she left her hand to trace comforting patterns on her cheek.

Her breath hitched as she felt Misty's hand make contact with her chin, moving her head back to what she assumed was facing the swamp witch. Cordelia's head was swimming as she felt the younger woman's breath on her lips, once again breathing in the earthy smell of Misty Day.

As they sat there in each other's embrace Cordelia thought, if only for a second, that perhaps there could be a chance that Misty was feeling this too, that both wanted each other in the same way. She thought about how she could lean in, how easily she could close the distance between them and press her lips against those of the swamp witch.

However, it was only for a second, and her own insecurities brought reality crashing down around her. Far too petrified to actually take the plunge, she gave in to her fear moved away, out of Misty's embrace, and immediately wished she hadn't. A sense of panic set in and she got up off of the bed, unaware that she herself was solely to blame for feeling like she'd overstayed her welcome.

"I should go, I'm sorry, I should've waited until a more appropriate time, you need your rest."

Beginning to make her way to where she remembered the door to be she once again felt a gentle guiding hand on her arm, and another at the small of her back sending shivers up her spine. Misty didn't say anything, for which she was thankful, and the two walked to her room in silence.

It was only when the door was shut and Cordelia was leaning against it for support that she trusted herself to speak, muttering another stream of thank-you's to the empty room.


End file.
